Me or Gene?
by Parakage
Summary: "Me or Gene," he'd said smiling back at her as her face fell in shock. A one-shot taking place after my Finding Gene one-shot but can read by itself. One sided Gene/Mai. Naru is about to leave for England but Mai has something to say to him first. A different take on that scene. Rated T for language.


**Another One-shot taking place right after Finding Gene. I will continue making more one-shots that feed of off each other to build up for a story I'm working on. But I'm only posting one-shots until I finish the entire thing because I have a record of never finishing what I start. This one is to establish what happened and it'll make more sense later if I manage to finish my main story. Though I was thinking about making a short series on what Mai does during the year after Naru leaves. Your thoughts?**

 **But please let me know if the transition from mind to mind is smooth or not. I really need the input. Also please let me know if you have any ideas.**

 **Warning: Cursing, Naru is an extremely stupid scientist. Gene is alive as he usually is in my fics. Tears and may be a bit rushed because I suck at the touchy-feely shit. It may or may not cause feels depending on your state of mind. Also, be aware the flashback isn't nessaicarily Mai's prove. This is all third person after all. Also be warned of a furious Gene :P**

Things had taken a great turn for Oliver, he'd finally found his brother and alive no less. They had established what happened and Gene and Mai had explained how they knew each other. It had annoyed Naru that she'd kept something that important from him. Naru knew that he had used her first, but still what if Gene had been a ghost and what if Gene had become an angry spirit? She could have been hurt... But in this moment as he hugged Gene for once letting his emotions get the best of him he just didn't care. Luckily Mai was asleep in her hospital bed and everyone had left to get some rest at their hotel.

Luckily Mai was asleep in her hospital bed and everyone had left to get some rest at their hotel. He'd waited for them all to leave so he could express his relief that his brother was alive. Gene laughed slightly hearing his thoughts. For some reason, Gene could read Oliver's mind when in a close proximity, but it was a two-way street since Noll could do the same. But even so, Gene was better at hiding his thoughts than Naru was.

But it surprisingly didn't take very long until Gene was able to walk around normally and for Mai to get better. Naru turned his thoughts to the girl in front of him. Wondering exactly what Mai wanted from him after pulling him away from everyone and into a secluded place by a sakura blossom tree.

He watched her shift nervously on her feet biting the bottom of her lip with a furious blush on her face. He wondered as to what made her so nervous but stayed silent for a while longer. It was adorable when she blushed he thought but bashed that feeling down. He didn't wanna lose his cool now even if his brother was back. He absently wondered why he felt like he needed to be so cold all the time. It's not like he had a horrible life or something especially traumatic. He'd just adopted this ever growing wall between him and everyone else. His thought continued while the girl staring at him had a war within her mind.

Mai mentally cursed herself for being so shy and blushing so much. Hating the way she hesitated in saying something she'd figured everyone including the boy in front of her already knew. She then recalled Gene who had talked with her on the one occasion everyone else was out of the room except a ' _sleeping_ ' Lin.

 _"So are you going to tell the Idiot Scientist how you feel?" Gene abruptly asked with his eyes flickering an emotion Mai couldn't read._

 _Mai blushed bright red and squeaked freezing in place. Gene chuckled bemusedly at her reaction. It took a moment for her to be able to reply._

 _"Well, I might not see him or you for a long time if ever so I have too." Mai sighed blushing at the thought of admitting how she felt to the ever stoic twin. "I don't wanna look back and ask what if it's not my style." She added absently fiddling with the hem of her skirt._

 _Gene sighed a bit pouting as she turned to pick up her cup of water. Of corse, he was happy for his brother knowing that Noll liked- no loved the girl too, but at the same time, he also felt a twinge of jealousy that she liked Noll instead of him. Ironically the only girl Gene had his sights on was the only girl who had chosen his brother over him._

 _He felt selfish and at the same time wanted to pull her into a giant hug and kiss her senseless until she fell in love with him. After all, that girl was one in a million and he couldn't shake the feeling his brother was going to screw it up. But none the less he encouraged her to do what she felt was right. He of all people knew what it felt to be stuck with what if's after he'd been stuck in the astral plain. He wasn't going to stop her even if everything in his mind told him his brother was going to be an idiot..._

"What is it?" Naru finally said snapping Mai out of her inner musings. He watched her take a breath to calm herself before looking at him with determination in her beautiful honey brown- now golden as the light reflected from them.

He watched her take a breath to calm herself before looking at him with determination in her beautiful honey brown- now golden as the light reflected from them. She was honestly beautiful when she smiled a big smile.

"I love you Naru," she finally said smiling at him with at that same big beautiful smile and watched him intently for a reaction.

"Me or Gene," he smiled back before watching her face fall into shock and turning on his heel and walking away.

He screamed at himself what in the actual fuck was wrong with him? She'd said the words 'I love you Naru' and what had he done? He replied with 'Me or Gene' he shook his head and let himself think it was because he actually thought she was confusing her feelings. But what was actually happening was he couldn't let himself accept her. He was physically incapable of giving himself something as good as returning her feelings. His mind reeled but his face stayed cold and steely and he returned to the hotel room.

Mai watched him until he was out of sight and earshot before sinking to her knees. Tears welled in her eyes and rolled down her face. Her heart shattering as his words and smile repeated in her mind over and over. It hurt so much more than she'd imagined it would. She would have been fine if he'd just turned her down even if it was rude. But this? It hurt so much more because of that smile and she clutched her her shirt over her heart. She had taken the thought of liking Gene a long time ago and she'd been met with the fact she loved the stoic. She'd spent hours, days, and weeks coming to terms with who she liked. But he still- she covered her mouth staring unseeing at where he'd gone out of sight.

And that was how Ayako and Masako found her sobbing into her hands and sitting on her legs on the ground beside a sakura blossom tree. Their hearts clenched ad Ayako knelt down to hug Mai to her and Mai latched onto her for dear life and sobbed into her shirt. Masako rubbed Mai's back and whispered comforting things to her as both she and Ayako tried to comfort Mai the others soon found them. And all they could do was watch her cry and bring her into the hotel.

It took a long time for her to stop crying and that was only after she fell asleep from crying so much. It hurt watching her like that and not being able to help as she never told them what happened. Because she didn't want them to be mad at Naru even after he'd said such a cruel thing to her with such a beautiful smile on his face.

Frustrated Gene paced in front of his idiot brother while Lin and Madoka just stared at the two unsure as to why Gene was royally pissed. Gene leveled a glare equal to anyone of Naru's death glares still pacing back in forth. Gene was so mad he hadn't bothered reading Noll's mind because he didn't really wanna know how his brother could even do something so harsh. Especially to the girl, the _both_ loved to death. The girl who got away with drawing on Noll's face with permanent markers with nothing more than a glare and some extra work. The girl who saw through Noll's bullshit the first day they'd met.

Gene wasn't just pissed he was furious and he didn't care that it wasn't good for him to be so worked up after being in acoma so long. He just wanted to smack that blank look off of his god damn face. Glimpsing his reflexion he was put in an even worse mood. He'd just barely been reunited with his twin and yet he was just so angry. Mai hadn't deserved a rejection that harsh. After everything Mai had at least deserved a little respect. but this Idiot Scientist he called a brother was well an _idiot_!

"What is wrong with you!?" Gene finally snapped shaking his brother by the shoulders. "What in the fuck were you thinking? 'Me or Gene' what in the fuck was that!?"

Oliver stared at his twin blankly as Lin connected the dots and now glared at his charge with a less threatening glare but not by much. He'd overheard Gene talking with Mai and honestly didn't know what his charge who obviously liked her back was thinking.

Mai was important to him and to their makeshift family. Noll obviously loved the girl and she him so what was running through Noll's head? Sure they would be going back to England, but they would most likely end up back in Japan sooner or later. Japan was providing a lot of research and was a hotspot, unlike England.

"Simple she was confusing me with you." Gene faltered disbelieving this was his twin.

Lin's mouth opened gaping at Oliver in surprise. How in the hell did he come up with that idea?

"Give it up for my brother the Idiot Scientist," Gene clapped sarcastically ruffling his own hair with both his hands honestly his brother was such a dufus when it came to girls.

The next day they packed up the office and Mai wasn't there to help. Gene had wanted to see her before they left. But realizing his face kind of a bad reminder of his twin. So decided against seeing her at her home. Although Naru was partially glad she wasn't there to remind him of his actions. Still, he missed her tea already and he could feel glares aimed at him. Everyone was upset with him and he didn't blame them. Even John gave him a disapproving look. But he supposed they were here to say goodbyes to Lin, Madoka, and Gene and he didn't mind that. Or so he told himself...

 _Meanwhile_ , Mai sniffed in her bed curled up into a small ball mulling over the events in her head. Thinking about what he'd said and burst into a new round of fresh tears. The words "Me or Gene" replaying in her mind. They left the next day back to England she learned in a text and sniffed. She opened her phone and hit Madoka's caller in order to get to the text box. She sent a goodbye and apologized for not seeing them off. But she just couldn't bring herself to get out of her apartment for a long time.

It took her a few weeks to get over it enough not to cry every time she thought about Naru even after he'd left for England without so much as a goodbye from him. Her heart still ached, but she turned her focus on school work and learning how to protect herself from the slowly growing number of ghosts that kept finding her. Her heart still stung but slowly and surely she'd get over it. But she wasn't exactly the same as she used to be with all of the things piling up around her.

The ghosts kept coming and her powers kept growing and nobody who could explain was there. Monk and Ayako drifted away from her along the way and all she had was Masako, John, and Yasu to keep her going.

But she still remembered the way he'd said those words as clear as day. "Me or Gene," he'd said with that smile on his face.

 **Ok, this one-shot is done. Please let me know if it was forced in places so I can fix it. I just hope you enjoyed this and if it had enough feels. Personally, I'm not good with feels but I'm trying.**

 **And please feel free to leave a review or simply favorite. But if you didn't like it go ahead and tell me why as long as it's reasonable. Like criticizing me or saying if Lin was way too OOC or something. I'm a big girl I can handle it.**


End file.
